A low-profile wideband circularly polarized (CP) metasurface antenna is demonstrated for C-band applications. The metasurface consists of 4 × 4 square patches with Z-shaped slots. Characteristic mode analysis is used to investigate the modal behavior of the metasurface, and a pair of degenerate modes is chosen as the operating modes. The CP radiation is realized by exciting a pair of degenerate modes of the metasurface through a slot antenna, which is used as a feed structure with a 90° phase difference. The CP bandwidth is further widened by combining the resonance modes of the metasurface and slot antenna. The measured results show that the −10 dB impedance bandwidth of the antenna is 3.47–4.76 GHz, and the 3 dB axial ratio bandwidth is 3.5–4.9 GHz with a peak gain of 6.9 dBic. Moreover, the antenna exhibits well left-hand CP radiation performances with a low profile of 0.046λ0.

With the popularization of electric vehicles, early built parking lots cannot solve the charging problem of a large number of electric vehicles. Mobile charging robots have autonomous navigation and complete charging functions, which make up for this deficiency. However, there are static obstacles in the parking lot that are random and constantly changing their position, which requires a stable and fast iterative path planning method. The gray wolf optimization (GWO) algorithm is one of the optimization algorithms, which has the advantages of fast iteration speed and stability, but it has the drawback of easily falling into local optimization problems. This article first addresses this issue by improving the fitness function and position update of the GWO algorithm and then optimizing the convergence factor. Subsequently, the fitness function of the improved gray wolf optimization (IGWO) algorithm was further improved based on the minimum cost equation of the A* algorithm. The key coefficients AC1 and AC2 of two different fitness functions, Fitness1 and Fitness2, were discussed. The improved gray wolf optimization algorithm integrating A* algorithm (A*-IGWO) has improved the number of iterations and path length compared to the GWO algorithm in parking lots path planning problems.

Current deep neural networks (DNNs) are far from being able to model the rich landscape of human visual experience. Beyond visual recognition, we explore the neural substrates of visual mental imagery and other visual experiences. Rather than shared visual representations, temporal dynamics and functional connectivity of the process are essential. Generative adversarial networks may drive future developments in simulating human visual experience.

Product graphics interchange formats (GIFs) employ this format to show the features of the product and make up for the lack of physical experience online. These GIFs have been widely applied in domains such as e-shopping and social media, aiming to interest and impress viewers. Contrary to this wide application, most designers in this domain lack expertise and produce GIFs of varied quality. Moreover, the knowledge of techniques to enhance viewers’ engagement with product GIFs is also lacking. To bridge the gap, we conducted a series of studies. First, we collected and summarized seven design factors referring to existing literature and semi-structured interviews. Then, the impacts of these design factors were revealed through an online study with 106 product GIFs among 307 participants. The results showed that visual-related factors such as color contrast and moving intensity mainly impact viewers’ interest, while content-related factors such as scenario and style matching impact viewers’ impressions. The simplicity of GIFs also impressed viewers with a quick viewing mode. Finally, we conducted a workshop and verified that these results support large-scale production of product GIFs. Our studies might support the codesign methods of product GIFs and enhance their quality in design practice.

Although a growing body of literature on star employees has focused on top performers, the influence of moral stars has been neglected, an unfortunate situation given that employees’ moral behavior has prolonged impacts on organizations and society as a whole. In this case, we propose the concept of the moral star, defined as the employee (not the team leader) who exhibits disproportionately high and prolonged morality relative to others and has a reputation of being moral on his or her team. We further draw upon self-categorization theory and investigate the double-edged sword effect of the presence of a moral star on the prosocial behavior of other team members. Specifically, we propose that for nonstar employees who have high levels of moral identity, the presence of a moral star is positively related to their felt moral responsibility and prosocial behavior. In contrast, for nonstar employees with low levels of moral identity, the presence of a moral star is negatively related to their felt moral responsibility and prosocial behavior. We found support for our hypotheses across an experiment and a multi-wave and multi-source field study. Taken together, our findings call for closer attention to the recognition of moral stars, as well as their potential unintended negative impact on teams and organizations.

While debates about the effectiveness of labour service cooperation policies are raging in Western countries, more information about this topic is needed in the Chinese context. Using the difference-in-differences identification framework and provincial panel data to estimate the employment-promoting effects of the labour service cooperation policy implemented in pilot provinces in China, this study found that the labour service cooperation policy helped to reduce the number of unemployed people and that public–private cooperation created a new approach by combining all stakeholders, such as job seekers, employers, and public employment service agencies. The labour service cooperation policy had a lag policy effect on employment promotion, which was persistent and constantly amplified. The policy was more effective when implemented in regions where the manufacturing industry is the primary sector and the unemployment burden is high.

This paper is devoted to the study of the propagation dynamics of a mutualistic model of mistletoes and birds with nonlocal dispersal. By applying the theory of asymptotic speeds of spread and travelling waves for monotone semiflows, we establish the existence of the asymptotic spreading speed $c^*$, the existence of travelling wavefronts with the wave speed $c\ge c^*$ and the nonexistence of travelling wavefronts with $c\lt c^*$. It turns out that the spreading speed coincides with the minimal wave speed of travelling wavefronts. Moreover, some lower and upper bound estimates of the spreading speed $c^*$ are provided.

This article describes a robot walker based on a new single degree-of-freedom six-bar leg mechanism that provides rectilinear, non-rotating, movement of the foot. The walker is statically stable and requires only two actuators, one for each side, to provide effective walking movement on a flat surface. We use Curvature Theory to design a four-bar linkage with a flat-sided coupler curve and then adds a translating link so that walker foot follows this coupler curve in rectilinear movement. A prototype walker was constructed that weighs 1.6 kg, is 180 mm tall, and travels at 162 mm/s. This is an innovative legged robot that has a simple reliable design.

Periplaneta americana, one of the most widely distributed insects all over the world, can survive and reproduce in harsh environment which may be closely related to the critical roles of intestinal microorganisms in its multiple physiological functions. However, the composition and structure of gut microbiota throughout different life stages and its effects on the strong resilient and environmental adaptability of P. americana remain unclear. In this study, the gut microbiota across life stages including ootheca (embryos), nymph and adult of P. americana were investigated by 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing. Multivariate statistical analysis showed the richness and diversity of bacterial communities were significantly different among ootheca, nymph and adult stage of P. americana. Taxonomic analysis showed Blattabacterium was the dominant genus in bacterial community of ootheca while the nutrient absorption-related genera including Christensenellaceae and Ruminococcaceae showed high relative abundance in nymph samples. Moreover, functional prediction analysis showed the metabolic categories in ootheca might have more influence on the basic life activities of the host than improved production and viability, while it was more associated to the society activities, reproduction and development of host in nymph and adult. It was suggested that the gut microbiota in each life stage might meet the requirements for environmental adaptability and survival of P. americana via transforming the composition and structure with specific metabolic capabilities. Overall, these results provided a novel sight to better understand the strong vitality and adaptability throughout life stages of P. americana.

In this paper, we consider a nonstandard multidimensional risk model, in which the claim sizes $\{\vec{X}_k, k\ge 1\}$ form an independent and identically distributed random vector sequence with dependent components. By assuming that there exists the regression dependence structure between inter-arrival time and the claim-size vectors, we extend the regression dependence to a more practical multidimensional risk model. For the univariate marginal distributions of claim vectors with consistently varying tails, we obtain the precise large deviation formulas for the multidimensional risk model with the regression size-dependent structure.

Heritable thoracic aortic aneurysms are complex conditions characterised by the dilation or rupture of the thoracic aorta, often occurring as an autosomal-dominant disorder associated with life-threatening complications. In this case report, we present a de novo variant, MFAP5 c.236_237insA (p.N79Kfs9), which is implicated in the development of inherited thoracic aortic aneurysm. The proband, a 15-year-old male, presented with recurrent cough, dull chest pain, chest distress, vomiting, and reduced activity tolerance, leading to the diagnosis of heritable thoracic aortic aneurysms. Whole-exome sequencing identified a novel heterozygous variant in MFAP5 (NM_003480, c.236_237insA, and p.N79Kfs9). MutationTester and PolyPhen-s predicted this variant to be damaging and disease-causing (probability = 1), while the SFIT score indicated protein damage (0.001). Structural analysis using the AlphaFold Protein structure database revealed that this mutation disrupted the N-linked glycosylation site, resulting in a frameshift, amino acid sequence alteration, and truncation of an essential protein site. To our knowledge, this is the first case report describing a young patient with heritable thoracic aortic aneurysm carrying the novel MFAP5 c.236_237insA (p.N79Kfs*9) variant. This variant represents the third identified mutation site associated with heritable thoracic aortic aneurysm. Given the high mortality and morbidity rates associated with thoracic aortic aneurysms, the prevention of severe and fatal complications is crucial in the clinical management of this condition. Our case highlights the importance of whole-exome sequencing and genetic screening in identifying potential pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants, particularly in early-onset patients with aortic dilation, to inform appropriate management strategies.

The global transition towards diets high in calories has contributed to 2.1 billion people becoming overweight, or obese, which damages male reproduction and harms offspring. Recently, more and more studies have shown that paternal exposure to stress closely affects the health of offspring in an intergenerational and transgenerational way. SET Domain Containing 2 (SETD2), a key epigenetic gene, is highly conserved among species, is a crucial methyltransferase for converting histone 3 lysine 36 dimethylation (H3K36me2) into histone 3 lysine 36 trimethylation (H3K36me3), and plays an important regulator in the response to stress. In this study, we compared patterns of SETD2 expression and the H3K36me3 pattern in pre-implantation embryos derived from normal or obese mice induced by high diet. The results showed that SETD2 mRNA was significantly higher in the high-fat diet (HFD) group than the control diet (CD) group at the 2-cell, 4-cell, 8-cell, and 16-cell stages, and at the morula and blastocyst stages. The relative levels of H3K36me3 in the HFD group at the 2-cell, 4-cell, 8-cell, 16-cell, morula stage, and blastocyst stage were significantly higher than in the CD group. These results indicated that dietary changes in parental generation (F0) male mice fed a HFD were traceable in SETD2/H3K36me3 in embryos, and that a paternal high-fat diet brings about adverse effects for offspring that might be related to SETD2/H3K36me3, which throws new light on the effect of paternal obesity on offspring from an epigenetic perspective.

Soybean is one of the chief crops producing protein and oil for human consumption. Wild soybean, the ancestor of cultivated soybean, possesses high seed protein content; therefore, it is a valuable genetic resource that could enhance protein content in the cultivated varieties. To identify the genes responsible for increasing protein content in wild soybean, a population comprising 113 BC4F6 chromosome segment substitution lines (CSSL) was developed from a cross between soybean cultivar ‘Jackson’ and wild soybean accession JWS156-1. The CSSL population was cultivated in the field conditions for 3 years (2018, 2019 and 2020), and the seeds harvested from each line were analysed for protein and oil contents by InfraTec Nova instrument. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis with 243 SSR markers identified 12 QTLs associated with seed protein, oil and protein + oil contents. Among these QTLs, qPro8 and qPro19, two major and stable QTLs for protein content, were detected on chromosomes 8 and 19, respectively. No QTL for oil content was detected in the vicinity of qPro19, indicating that qPro19 did not influence the seed oil content. The effect of qPro19 was validated using near-isogenic lines (NILs) of qPro19. By introducing the qPro19 allele from wild soybean into another soybean variety, ‘Tachiyutaka’, a BC4 line, T-678, that showed enhanced seed protein content, without reducing the seed oil content. This study implied that the qPro19 allele from wild soybean could be a potential genetic resource for breeding programmes aimed to improve soybean seed quality.

The spatial relationship between turbulent and particle concentration structures is investigated based on the turbulent velocity and particle concentration data obtained synchronously at the Qingtu Lake Observation Array site. In addition to the observation of particle concentration structures that contain not only large-scale coherence but also significant energy in the high-Reynolds-number atmospheric surface layer (ASL), the scale of turbulent motions that have the most significant coherence with particle concentration is found to follow a 1/2 power scaling law with the local height and ASL thickness. Moreover, large-scale turbulent velocity fluctuations have a significant amplitude modulation effect on particle concentration fluctuations, but the modulating influence is different for small dust particles and large saltating particles. Based on the interphase amplitude modulation, there exists a particle–turbulence structure phase difference that varies with height, which further makes the structure inclination angle of the particle concentration larger than that of the turbulence. In this scenario, a conceptual model reflecting the relationship between the two is proposed, and a quantitative formulation is further derived and found to be in good agreement with the experimental results. These findings and the proposed model contribute insights into particle–turbulence interactions, thereby providing theoretical support for a unified model of turbulence dynamics and particle kinematics.

We investigate experimentally and theoretically the interactions between a cavitation bubble and a hemispherical pendant oil droplet immersed in water. In experiments, the cavitation bubble is generated by a focused laser pulse right below the pendant droplet with well-controlled bubble–wall distances and bubble–droplet size ratios. By high-speed imaging, four typical interactions are observed, namely: oil droplet rupture; water droplet entrapment; oil droplet large deformation; and oil droplet mild deformation. The bubble jetting at the end of collapse and the migration of the bubble centroid are particularly different in each bubble–droplet interaction. We propose theoretical models based on the method of images for calculating the Kelvin impulse and the anisotropy parameter which quantitatively reflects the migration of the bubble centroid at the end of the collapse. Finally, we explain that a combination of the Weber number and the anisotropy parameter determines the regimes of the bubble–droplet interactions.

This study presents novel findings on stochastic electron heating via a random electron cyclotron wave (ECW) in a spherical tokamak. Hard x ray measurements demonstrate the time evolution of hard x ray counts at different energy bands, consistent with predictions from the stochastic heating model. The ECW heating rate shows a positive correlation with applied power, confirming the effectiveness of stochastic heating. Remarkably, the ECW-driven plasma current remains insensitive to ECW incidence angle, consistent with model predictions. The observed stochastic heating of electrons offers potential for exploring innovative non-inductive current drive modes in spherical tokamaks. This research contributes to the understanding of plasma behaviour and motivates the development of new models for non-inductive current drive in fusion devices.